Candidates completing graduate-level programs of study in one of the following areas may apply for an initial Arkansas educator license by following the steps listed below.
Ancillary Licenses
- Speech Language Pathologist
- School Psychology Specialist
- Occupational Therapist
- Library Media Specialists
Initial License – Graduate Level
- School Counseling (Initial License)
Note: This information applies to first-time, initial license applicants only. If you already hold a teaching license, go here for information to add an area to your license.
The Arkansas Department of Education should not be your initial contact with questions about your license. All questions should first be directed to the UCA Office of Candidate Services.
STEP 1
Complete a criminal history background check with the Arkansas State Police/FBI and complete the child maltreatment central registry check.
NOTE: Background checks must be less than one year old for licensing. Information about these two requirements is available here.
You can check the status of your background check here.
Your account in the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS) is created when you complete the background check process. Complete this step before continuing to steps 2 and 4.
STEP 2
Submit the online application for an Arkansas educator license.
Do NOT submit this application until you are in your final semester. The application process requires you to pay your $75 license fee. Have your credit/debit card ready to make this payment. Go here for directions on completing the online application.
NOTE: Your account is created when you initiate the background check process in Step 1.
STEP 3
Earn passing score(s) on the required Arkansas Praxis exam(s) listed at the bottom of this page.
You must include UCA as a score report recipient. Follow the directions HERE to send your scores to UCA.
More information about Arkansas Praxis requirements is available here. Praxis requirements for school psychology specialist, speech pathology, and school counseling (initial license) are listed in the Instructional Support Personnel section.
STEP 4
Complete the Arkansas Department of Education professional development requirements.
Information about these requirements is available here. After each module, print AND save the completion certificate.
NOTE: To create an account in the ArkansasIDEAS system, you must first be in the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS). Your AELS account is created when you initiate the background check process described in Step 1.
- Child Maltreatment
- Family & Community Engagement
- Mental Health & Awareness
- Teen Suicide Awareness & Prevention
- Dyslexia Awareness
- Bullying Prevention
- Human Trafficking
- Arkansas History (not required for those who have a course in Arkansas history)
When you have finished all professional development requirements, upload your “record of learning” from the ArkansasIDEAS website HERE.
STEP 5
Submit official transcripts for all college credit (undergraduate and graduate) not earned at UCA.
If you use a digital or email transcript system, make sure that your transcript(s) can be directed to an individual — not the University of Central Arkansas in general. If necessary, get official printed copies of your transcripts. Contact garyb@uca.edu if you need to send paper copies of transcripts.
Send transcripts to garyb@uca.edu.
And Finally
When all materials are submitted and your required credential has been conferred, your application will be submitted by the Office of Candidate Services to the Arkansas Department of Education. Once submitted, your license should be issued within 2-3 weeks. You can check the progress of your license application here.
NOTE: For all initial licenses and for areas requiring the completion of a program of study, your license application MUST be approved and submitted to the Arkansas Department of Education by the UCA Office of Candidate Services.
Be sure to submit the online application and select University of Central Arkansas as your educator preparation program.
| PROGRAM | CODE | TITLE | Licensing Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech Language Pathologist | Praxis # 5331 | Speech Language Pathology | 162 |
| School Psychology Specialist | Praxis # 5403 | School Psychologist | 155 |
| Library Media Specialist | Praxis # 5312 | School Librarian | 141 |
| School Counseling | Praxis # 5422 | School Counselor | 146 |
| Occupational Therapy | NO PRAXIS REQ'D | National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy |